The Legend of Six
by PassiontheRainwing
Summary: It's only been one-thousand years since the Scorching. The tribes in Pyrrhia are still new, but peace has been holding strong. But that peace cannot last forever. So when a new tribe of dragons attack the continent, the bonds between the tribes is shattered. Can six dragons from different tribes join forces to fight this tribe? Or will Pyrrhia be lost to the shapeshifting invaders?
1. Prologue

**HALLOO PEEPS! Passion here, with the new prologue of The Legend of Six! I hope ya'll like it!**

**I (sadly) do not own Wings of Fire.**

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_**4,000 years before Queen Oasis died**_

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The Queen of the Shiftwings paced her throne room anxiously. It had been six months...she was supposed to have returned by now! She promised. Queen Evolve pounded the ground with one clawless talon.

_Where is she?! _If Chameleon, the dragon who was gone, did not return...they would have even less time! They needed a new home, and soon. Sure their island was big, lush, and beautiful. Sure it had green fields, crystal beaches, and breathtaking canyons. It was perfect. Except for the fact that their home was incredibly dangerous and unpredictable. Queen Evolve's kingdom had to constantly rebuild villages, and dragons often died from natural disasters. Volcanoes. Earthquakes. Tornadoes. Her subjects were never safe. What was worse, the prey was running out.

That was why a new home was needed. Chameleon was sent out six months ago on a mission to find a new home. She had told the Queen that if she didn't return in six months, she was dead. If she didn't return, all hope was lost, for she was the last scout.

_No, don't think about that. Chameleon won't die. She won't. _Queen Evolve beat back a stab of fear. _She wouldn't let herself die. The fate of the tribe is resting on her shoulders. _She was pulled out of her thoughts by the door creaking open. Queen Evolve snapped her head to the door, ears perked up.

"Chameleon?!" She asked. A dragon's head popped through the opening. Queen Evolve's ears fell back.

"Um, y-your Majesty?" The small Shiftwing stuttered.

Evolve sighed. Her white wings flicked in annoyance. "Contorter. What. Is. It."

Contorter fiddled with a feathered wing. "W-well, its j-just that...well..."

The Queen snapped her jaws. "STOP STUTTERING AND SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO!" She roared. Contorter flinched back. Queen Evolve sighed. Then, more calmly, "Okay. Just-what is is it."

"She-she has returned." Contorter said.

Queen Evolve's eyes widened. "Chameleon?"

Contorter nodded.

"Where?!" The Queen took an eager step forward. " Why isn't she in my throne room?"

Contorter looked away. "She's in Fishscale Village."

Queen Evolve blinked. "What? Why is she there?"

"Chameleon is severely injured. They could barely get her to the healer in the village."

Evolve rushed past him, out of the throne room. "Tell me-" Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat. "Tell me what happened."

Contorter bowed his head. "Y-yes, of course Your Majesty. Some of the villagers were out fishing when they saw her in the water. They told me it looks like a shark attack. Half of her left wing is missing, and her right wing is...well...it's completely gone." He sighed. "They don't know if she'll survive."

"She'll pull through." Queen Evolve's voice was choked. "She has to! She has to." Contorter's ears drooped.

They made their way through the winding curves of the palace. They passed various rooms with busy Shiftwings. They all bowed when their Queen passed. Normally Queen Evolve would acknowledge them with a small nod or an eye blink, but not today.

_Chameleon, hang on. I'm almost there. _The two arrived at a take-off platform near the top of the castle. They ran to the edge, spreading their wings. Jumping off gracefully, they swerved in the direction of the ocean. The warm summer air momentarily cleared the Queen's mind. She listened to the rustling of their feathered wings. Her white ones, Contorter's yellow. A hawk screeched above them. Fishscale Village soon came into view. The village was built on the ocean, all of the buildings were on stilts, and the only way to walk around was by the dock pathways. Queen Evolve landed on the center platform. The dragons bowed.

"Where is the healer's?" Queen Evolve asked.

A gaurd made his way towards her. "This way, Your Majesty."

Evolve followed him through the villages. They stopped at a smallish hut with healing herbs growing in small pots outside. Queen Evolve stepped gingerly into the hut. Jars, herbs, bandages, and other healing items lined the shelves. The air smelled of chamomile and sage. A small lavender dragon walked out of a back room.

She had a troubled look on her face. The Shiftwing's eyes widened when she finally noticed the Queen in her hut. "OH! Oh, You-Your Majesty! What can I do for you?" Her voice was soft and soothing.

"I hear that Chameleon is here?" Queen Evolve said.

"Oh, yes, right this way." The lavender Shiftwing led her to a back room. There was a single operating bed in the middle of the room. A pastel green dragon lay on it. Bandages covered areas where her wings should have been.

Queen Evolve gasped. "Chameleon! ...I thought she still had half of her left wing!"

"I had to amputate it to prevent infection."

"Oh."

Chameleon stirred, opening one eye. "My...My Queen?"

"Chameleon!" Evolve rushed to her bedside.

Chameleon smiled softly. "My Queen, I found it. I found the perfect place. A continent."

"Good job Chameleon. I knew you could do it."

Chameleon's eye started to close. "Only one thing..." Her voice started to fade. "There are seven...seven dragon tribes...already there..."

"Chameleon? CHAMELEON?!" Evolve panicked.

"Your Majesty, it's alright. She's fine." The healer soothed.

Evolve nodded. "Right. Okay."

"Y-your Majesty? Healer?" Contorter said. Ah. The Queen had forgotten he was there. She turned around. A small Shiftwing was sitting there. Only...she wasn't normal looking. First of all, she was bright vermilion with dark black stripes. She also had twisting black horns, teeth, and claws. Shiftwings only had pale coloured scales. And they didn't have teeth. Or claws.

"Twister!" The healer gasped. "Aren't you supposed to be with Hieroglyph?"

"He asked me to come get some chamomile to relax." The dragonet said in a small voice.

Queen Evolve raised an eye-ridge. "Who is this?"

"This is my daughter, Twister." The healer said. Queen Evolve 'hmm-ed'.

"I'll be back to check on Chameleon tonight." She said as she left. Queen Evolve walked outside and took a deep breath. _Chameleon... _"Contorter. Send out some more scouts to the continent Chameleon mentioned."

"But what about the other tribes?!" Contorter asked.

"Don't worry about them." Queen Evolve narrowed her eyes. "They won't be a problem."

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**DUN DUN DUUNNN! Hope this was a good chapter. **

**Here's some questions for you to think about for a week:**

**1\. What's the Queen's relationship to Chameleon?**

** that strange dragonet important?**

**K! See ya'll next week! PEACE PEEPS! **


	2. Chapter One

**HEYO PEEPS! Passion here, back with a new chapter! I know, I know, it's been a while, and I said i was going to update once a week. And it's been what...almost a year? I am so incredibly sorry, i feel horrible about it. But I was working, lost inspiration, worked, lost half of the chapter, lost inspiration, highschool started, it was a mess. But finally I finished it! And you should see some improvements in the chapter because I have an editor! I am so grateful to her, I didn't think I could get anywhere with this story without her marvelous editing. Thank you so, so much, Aerie, I am so incredibly grateful, and I don't think I can express this enough. But trust me guys, this chapter would be crap without her.**

**But yeah, I'm back! I'll try to be more active, but we'll see if I'm capable of doing so.  
**

**So, without further adue, Chapter One of The Legend of Six! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire**

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"Now, class, take out your Special Powers scroll. Open it to chapter five: How To Escape A Vision."

Dreamweaver sluggishly pulled the scroll out of her satchel. She just barely restrained herself from groaning of boredom. This was so dull. Why couldn't she skip all of this and go train? It wasn't like Dreamweaver didn't know this stuff, she was the most advanced NightWing in the school! Lunar Eclipse, her mentor, had already taught her how to block other dragon's thoughts and escape a vision of the unknown future.

_Maybe I can ask Eclipse for a pass from school…_

"-weaver? Dreamweaver?" The teacher's agitated voice snapped Dreamweaver from her thoughts. She jumped a little, startled.

"Yes, what, huh?" Dreamweaver stuttered. Her classmates snickered. She blushed. The teacher cleared his throat.

"I was asking you a question," he said plaintively.

"Oh, um...what was the question again?"

"What do you do when you are pulled into an unwanted vision?" the teacher repeated. Dreamweaver straightened. She knew this one.

"You take deep breaths to calm down, focus your mind on the outside world, and think of other things. Anything but the vision."

The teacher, Knowledgeseeker, looked impressed, but not surprised.

"Very good," he said, turning to address the class next. "Take out your note-taking scroll and a quill-"

Dreamweaver sighed. This was going to take for_ever_.

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"Okay. That is enough for today's class. You are dismissed."

Dreamweaver could've collapsed with relief. _Finally! She hurriedly shoved her things into her satchel, and slung it over her wing._

_Now I can go train_, she thought with triumph.

Dreamweaver ran out of the room, darting through the stone tunnels. The echoes of other dragons' thoughts reverberated through through her head, although she couldn't hear them clearly. The whole NightWing tribe was able to block mind-readers, which was a big secret. The queen had decreed that the NightWings would not betray each other, so every dragon in the tribe should be able to block their thoughts. Sometimes it was frustrating, but Dreamweaver was happy that it at least prevented headaches.

She soon reached the cave opening, where other students were milling around on the take-off platform. Dreamweaver barged through them, and quite a few grumbled curses and angry mutters followed her as she leaped off the ledge and into the cool night air.

Dreamweaver spread her wings and caught the wind, the Kingdom of Night spread out below her, all green and blue and brown. Her kingdom was so beautiful. Stationed on Pyrrhia's main peninsula, if you flew high enough, you could see the ocean from three sides. The palace was only a small speck in the distance. Agate Mountain towered on the horizon, even though it was much farther away. Caves and canyons stretched for miles below her.

Dreamweaver gently angled her wings toward the border shared with the Kingdom of Sand, where she trained as an assassin. The only signs of war below her were the occasional injured dragon or wing of attackers or defenders.

_She's going so fast!_

Dreamweaver almost fell out of the sky.

_Who's following me…_ Dreamweaver wondered, tensing up.

She waited for a few more wingbeats before swinging around, ready to fight. But she relaxed when she saw who was following her.

Her pursuer, another NightWing, flew up to meet her.

"Hey, Dream!" she shouted cheerily. Dreamweaver smiled.

"Hey Umbra!" Dreamweaver called back. Umbra hovered in front of her friend, sucking in air in deep gasps. Her hurry to catch up had drained her.

"You off...to see Lunar Eclipse...already? ...Man you're fast," Umbra wheezed. Dreamweaver nodded.

"Of course! I like to get as much training as possible so I can do as well as I can." She thought for a moment. "I wonder what we're doing today."

Umbra regained her composure and giggled. "Ha, I bet you weren't even listening in class." Dreamweaver rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, you have no idea." she groaned. "You're so lucky you don't have school anymore. It's so boring."

"I would find it fascinating." Umbra replied sincerely.

She was one of the many of the NightWing population that couldn't read minds or tell the future. Her parents were poor dragons, so they lived in the deeper caves, near the bottom of a canyon, where she was laid. Without moonlight and the added full moon(s), she never even had the chance to develop mind-reading powers.

They stayed there, hovering, for a few more moments. Dreamweaver realized she had been lost in thought again, then jolted back, flapping her wings with renewed energy.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Dreamweaver cried with glee, wheeling away. The pair flew over the dark forests, deep canyons, and tall mountains, enjoying the feeling of air under their wings.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a sharp spear of pain bolted through Dreamweaver's head and bounced around her skull. She cried out in sudden agony. Oh no no no, not again!

Dreamweaver squeezed her eyes shut. The pain gradually subsided. She opened them and gasped in horror. Replacing the dark green, lush forests was black rock, rivulets of lava flowing through the cracks. Panicking, she looked around. Ash-filled clouds hung overhead, making it laborious to breath and difficult to see. She snapped her head towards the palace and froze in midair. A towering black mountain stood in the center of the foreign place, lava overflowing out of the top and all down the sides.

_No… oh no, please, no!_ she thought desperately, pressing her talons into her eyes. _What...what is this?! I've never had a vision like this before!_ A sudden, horrifying thought interrupted her confusion. _Oh no, no, moons no — this_ can't_ be a vision of the future._

Suddenly, Dreamweaver felt the air clear. She could breathe again. She sucked in a breath, and noticed the feel of the cool night wind on her scales. She cautiously removed her talons from her eyes and gasped with relief.

Everything was normal. The vision, the nightmare, whatever it was, had passed.

She coughed, still tasting the ghost of what must be ash and salt from her tears. Dreamweaver became aware of Umbra shaking her.

"Dreamweaver?! Dreamweaver!" Her cries were pleading, and her eyes were wide with fear and shock.

The now-conscious dragon shook her head. "Umbra?" Dreamweaver asked, confused and exhausted. She suddenly realized that she was lying on cold, hard earth. "Why are we on the ground?" Umbra tackled her in a hug.

"Oh three moons, I'm so glad you're alright. You really scared me when you cried out, then you fell out of the sky! Then, once we were on the ground, you just started crying! You're eyes were still open, but they were glazed over, like you saw something else. I-I didn't know what to do…" Umbra broke off and shifted her gaze to the ground. Dreamweaver returned her hug.

"I'm so sorry Umbra, I didn't mean to worry you like that." Umbra looked back up at her. "Dream, please tell me what happened."

"It was nothing." A lie.

"Dream, I can tell that wasn't nothing. You can tell me." Dreamweaver let go of her and took a step back.

"Umbra, please. I...I just...It's fine. Really." No. It's not fine. Nothing is fine. The horror still lingered. _If that really was a vision of the future..._

"Dream-" Umbra broke off when she saw the look on her friend's face. Dreamweaver begged her with her eyes to not press the subject. Umbra sighed.

"Umbra, by the way, how were you able to catch me when I fell out of the sky? I mean, no offense, but you're not exactly the strongest dragon."

"Oh!" Umbra's face lit up. "Lunar Eclipse saw us. Just before you woke up he left to go get some water for you."

Dreamweaver was about to reply, but a rustling in some nearby bushes made her mouth snap shut. The pair leaped into battle positions out of reflex, ready to fight at a moment's notice. A black dragon stepped into the small clearing.

The two friends relaxed, and Dreamweaver sat down in slight agitation.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," she said with an amused expression, hiding her initial annoyance.

Lunar Eclipse, the larger NightWing before them, rolled his eyes at Dream's remark. His scales were unique from any NightWing she had ever seen, pitch black mottled in glowing silver splatters of starlight.

He was carrying a flask, containing some unidentifiable liquid. Dreamweaver narrowed her eyes at it.

"Drink this," he commanded, and handed it to Dreamweaver. She tilted her head, then caved in and took the flask from him. Lunar Eclipse turned to address Umbra.

"Go on ahead, I need to speak with Dreamweaver."

Umbra nodded, glancing warily at Dreamweaver, as if she would seize up again, before obediently flying away. Lunar Eclipse waited patiently for Dreamweaver to finish drinking. When she did, the flask was returned to him and he spoke again.

"Dreamweaver," he started in his deep, serious voice. He pierced her through with a grave stare. "What did you see?"

Dream knew this was serious by the tone of his voice, and she certainly knew that the question wasn't optional. She fidgeted nervously.

"I-I don't know what you mean, Lunar Eclipse," she said.

"Yes, yes, you do. Now tell me what you saw in your vision." Lunar Eclipse pulled out an empty scroll and quill that Dream hadn't noticed. He prepared to begin writing. Dreamweaver's stomach felt like it was tied in knots.

"O-okay. Well, uh, so I was flying," she burst out, "then, I got a really bad headache, so I closed my eyes to make the pain go away. When I tried opening them again, everything was... well, it was different."

Lunar Eclipse hurriedly scrawled everything Dreamweaver said onto the scroll. She paused. He shot her a look, and she continued.

"Instead of being beautiful and green, everything was burnt a crispy black. Pitch black rocks were everywhere, and-and there were lava rivers flowing through giant cracks in the ground. And then, when I turned my head to look at the palace... There was nothing left. Just a huge, black, scorched mountain with lava flowi-"

"A volcano, do you think?" Lunar Eclipse interrupted to clarify, and Dreamweaver nodded in affirmation.

"Yea, yea, that's it. A volcano. It was so horrible and so so horrifying." She closed her eyes, remembering the pain of her vision and the terror that she felt.

"Is that all?" asked Lunar Eclipse. Dreamweaver nodded again, having nothing else to say. Frowning, Lunar Eclipse wrote the rest down. He rolled up the scroll, then called a dragon with his telepathy. Lethalclaws — Dream heard him send the message.

Wing beats could be predictably heard in the distance. The large, mottled NightWing pulled a stamp out of one of his many hidden pouches, proceeding to stamp the scroll with the royal crest, as per policy. He tied the scroll closed with a beautifully delicate, yet extremely strong silver chain. A few moments later, another NightWing landed beside them. His expression was firm and guarded.

"Lethalclaws," Dream's mentor addressed the newcomer, "take this scroll to Queen Carnage immediately." He handed the scroll over, and Lethalclaws nodded to him in acknowledgement before lifting off. He flew off, heading directly towards the palace. Lunar Eclipse turned back to Dreamweaver. He clapped his talons together. "Now, let's forget this, put it out of our minds, only for now, and join Umbra, yes?" He turned sharply and stalked off into the brush. Dream sighed.

_Forget... How could you ever expect me to forget this?_

* * *

"A SURPRISE TEST?!" Dreamweaver roared. Lunar Eclipse curtly nodded, unaffected by her shouting. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! HOW COULD YOU SPRING A SURPRISE TEST ON US?! I mean, a pop quiz is one thing, and completely acceptable, but a TEST?!"

"Dream," Umbra said soothingly in an attempt to calm her down. "What's the test on?" she addressed her teacher.

"The test — or should I say assignment? Is fairly simple. One of our NightWings will run and hide in the forest. Your easy little task is to hunt him down and assassinate him."

_Wait. What?_ Dreamweaver stood there, completely shocked.

"A-Assassinate one of our fellow NightWings?!" she asked incredulously. Umbra squeaked in alarm. Lunar Eclipse chuckled at their reaction.

"Oh, no need to worry. You won't actually be assassinating him." The two students sighed in relief. "Each of you will be given some red paint. You are to be able to successfully stalk your target, slash a spot with red paint, and please try not to draw any actual blood. Make sure you hit a lethal, one-hit-kill spot, or it won't count. Understand?" His students nodded to confirm.

"Uh, just one thing..." Dream raised her talon, "Who is our supposed 'target'?" Lunar Eclipse smiled slyly.

"Why, it's Massacre, of course," he said.

Dreamweaver burst out in hysterical laughter, unable to control herself. Umbra, who was blushing profusely, managed to squeak out, "M-M-Massacre?!"

"This is absolutely priceless!" Dreamweaver yelped. "We get to hunt down Umbra's crush! I almost want to let her be the one to get him, just to see her freak out, blush like crazy, and stutter like a jackrabbit on fireweed! HA!"

"Dream-" Umbra started.

"Oh three moons," Dreamweaver wheezed, interrupting her. "This is way. Too. Good." She nudged a hyperventilating Umbra. "Normally, I would want you to know that I would let you have him. However, this is a test, dear. I'm very sorry. I know just how much you want to watch him, stalk him... oh wait! You already do that all that time! I don't feel so bad any more..."

"Dreamweaver!" Umbra protested, shoving a talon at her. Dreamweaver reflexively ducked away, giggling.

"What, so you're saying it isn't true?!" Dreamweaver laughed as Umbra buried her head in her talons, blushing like crazy and making a very odd, almost like a strangled-moose kind of noise.

Lunar Eclipse smiled, obviously amused by his students' antics. "It's a wonder he hasn't heard your thoughts about him yet," he added.

Umbra's head shot up like someone just bit her tail. "WHAT?! YOU CAN HEAR THEM?!" She looked like she was about to faint.

"No, no you've kept your thoughts well guarded, Umbra." She exhaled in relief.

_Hey guys, I'm nearly there!_

"Oh!" Lunar Eclipse relayed the status update, "He's almost here."

Dreamweaver heard the thought too. Sitting next to her, Umbra smoothed the spines going down her back and flicked her wings, settling them in at her sides.

_Oh, Umbra._ Dreamweaver thought to herself, _If only you could just tell him. It's almost too painful to witness. You poor dear._

"Hey everyone, sorry I'm late." Massacre landed among them in the clearing, leaves scuttling away as his impact startled them.

"Good afternoon, Massacre," Lunar Eclipse greeted him. "How is your mentor these days?"

"Pride is doing well, thank you for asking," Massacre replied, smiling easily. He turned to address the other two in a friendly manner. "Hi Dreamweaver, hey Umbra."

"How's it going, Massacre?" Dreamweaver greeted, lifting a fist which her friend tapped in return.

"H-hi M-Massacre," Umbra said quietly, fiddling absentmindedly with a stick she found sitting next to her.

_Wow, she sure can blush up a storm!_ Dreamweaver thought, internally laughing at her friend.

"Well, now that we have said our hellos, we will now continue on with the testing." Lunar Eclipse clapped his talons together to gain the attention of his students. "Umbra, Dreamweaver, close your eyes and plug your ears. Massacre, you already know what to do, " he directed them all to commence the class.

Dream and Umbra did as they were told. Dreamweaver lashed her tail in her excitement. After a few moments, a large talon gently but firmly tapped her on the shoulder to signal Massacre's disappearance. She opened her eyes and watched the forest come into a sharp, green focus. Next to her, Umbra did the same. Massacre was nowhere to be seen, as expected.

"As you can see, our volunteer has already hidden within the forest," said Lunar Eclipse. "Now it is your job to find him and 'assassinate' him. Now remember, I will be watching your performance. Good luck." Eclipse stepped aside to let the dragons by.

The friends nodded to each other, silently wishing each other luck, before dashing swiftly and silently into the forest.

* * *

Dreamweaver slid through the forest quieter than the shadows, naturally blending in and mimicking their color. Small patches of sunlight shining through the thick canopy glinted on her glossy black scales. The pouch of paint thumped lightly against her side. She listened intently for any stray thoughts or sounds of Massacre's, but heard nothing. Dream gave up on listening, and decided to move onto the next sense, looking for any clues that he might have accidentally left behind in his rush to hide. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a flash of a large shape of black and silver hidden in the trees. But, when she paused to look, there was nothing there._ How very odd..._

But three moons, did he do a good job of hiding his tracks — Dreamweaver decided to pay the strange shape no mind. Anyway, what else should she expect from her friend? Massacre was still in training, just like Umbra and herself, but he was certainly far more advanced. After all, his mentor was the greatest assassin the tribe had at the time.

Pride. He was one of the queen's Seven Deadly Sins, an elite group of NightWings that followed the queen as her personal guard and hitmen. Lunar Eclipse had told her about how Pride had taken out an entire wing of SandWings in the middle of the day. He had used the sparse shadows of trees to hide and kill them silently, one by one as they passed by.

_Massacre sure is lucky…_ Dreamweaver thought. Her mind started to drift from the task at hand. _Hm…I wonder...what would we do if we weren't in this war?_ Dreamweaver had hatched during the second year of the war. She often wondered what Pyrrhia was like, before that wretched, wretched war. Lunar Eclipse had told her all of the tribes were close friends, almost like one huge tribe.

But that all changed when the ShiftWings arrived.

They killed dragons like they didn't even care how many died, and could change their shape to match whatever tribe they wanted to the finest detail. At first, the tribes thought, 'Yay, a new tribe! That means new allies and more trade!'. But the ShiftWings quickly made it clear that they were here to kill and invade. It threw the tribes into complete panic. In the first few months of the war, the tribes had linked together to defeat their common enemy. That was, until they discovered the ShiftWings were shapeshifters. That… that was what turned the war into an utter bloodbath. There was no one you could trust, not even yourself. They first became wary, then suspicious, then hostile towards each other. The ShiftWings, dubbed 'dragons of hell', had completely shattered the once beautiful peace of Pyrrhia, turning the invasion into a full-blown war. This was bad for a new nation, but the tribes didn't seem to care.

Dreamweaver, among other dragons, believed that Pyrrhia would never be the same again, if there was still a Pyrrhia after this. The tribes would always be wary, if not hostile, toward each other. The ShiftWings had ruined everything.

Dreamweaver shook the dark thoughts away. _Focus Dreamweaver,_ she thought._ You need to find your target._ She sighed. Still no clues. None.

_Wait a second..._

There! A small branch, one of its twigs bent in half. Dreamweaver lowered her head to look at it. Yep, a dragon definitely did this.

_Hmm...15 years old, light on their talons. Oh yea. Massacre was here._

By the way the twig snapped, and how the leaves were crushed, she was actually on the right path. Dreamweaver focused, making herself even lighter, concentrating all of her weight on her upper limbs. Climbing through the brush, she tried not to make a sound.

There he was! Massacre was crouching in the middle of a bunch of ferns, head swinging left and right, ears pricked, eyes wide. Dreamweaver silently and swiftly leaped up into the trees. It took a few minutes of gingerly stepping between branches, trying not to make a single sound, until she was in position. She took a deep breath, dipping a claw in the red paint.

_Ok...ok...ready?_

_One…_

_Two…_

_…Three!_

Dreamweaver dropped down from the trees onto Massacre's back. He opened his mouth to roar in alarm, but Dreamweaver clamped his snout shut with one talon before he could make a sound. Quickly and efficiently, while she still had him by surprise, Dreamweaver ran her painted claw along Massacre's throat and underbelly, leaving thick red streaks. Massacre relaxed immediately, knowing she had won. Dreamweaver jumped off his back in response, grinning.

"I am the shadows! I am death! FEAR ME MORTALS!" Dreamweaver shouted gleefully, standing on her back talons and spreading her wings. Massacre laughed, his golden eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Well done, Dream!" he praised. "I didn't even know you were there. How did you track me down so quickly?"

"You were sloppy." Dreamweaver answered smugly, still grinning. "You snapped a twig on a branch, showing that you were nearby, and the direction you had gone."

"Really? I didn't realize I had done that..." Massacre scratched his snout thoughtfully. "Well, I guess we should head back."

They started walking. His footsteps were light, showing hours and hours of practicing to stay quiet. The ground he walked on was barely even disturbed as he moved.

"Aren't you going to wash the paint off? It can't be very comfortable," Dreamweaver asked.

Massacre shook his head. "Naw, I can't. Lunar Eclipse has to see where you 'killed' me." Dreamweaver nodded, remembering.

A few minutes later, they approached the small clearing, where Lunar Eclipse and Umbra already stood. Massacre motioned for Dreamweaver to be quite, tilting his head towards Umbra. Dreamweaver took on an evil smile, nodding. Massacre grinned and walked around and behind Umbra.

"Hey look, I'm not dead!" Dreamweaver greeted.

"Ah yes, welcome back." Lunar Eclipse said. He had clearly noticed Massacre behind Umbra, evident in the curious glint in his eye. When Eclipse didn't say anything about him, Umbra spoke up.

"Hey, where's Massacre, Dream?" she asked.

"I'm right here," Massacre said from behind her. Umbra leaped into the air.

"AH! MASASACRE!" she yelled.

The clearing went silent. Umbra froze, realizing her mistake.

"Oh no..." she muttered under her breath.

Dreamweaver was the first to break out into laughter, clear and sharp. Massacre joined her a second later, his laughter light and breezy. Even Lunar Eclipse looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"Masasacre! Thrice cursed moons, that was hilarious!" Dreamweaver managed in between snorts of laughter. Umbra buried her face in her talons.

"Oh moons…" she sighed.

Massacre beat the ground with his talons, crying from the laughter. "It hurts! HAHAHAHA IT HURTS!"

They spent the next few minutes laughing their tails off while Umbra looked like she was considering flinging herself into the ocean.

After they recovered, Lunar Eclipse walked over to Massacre, who was still trying not to smile. Lunar Eclipse inspected the lines of paint Dreamweaver had slashed onto him.

"Throat, underscales… excellent job, Dreamweaver." Lunar Eclipse gave her a smile of approval. Dreamweaver puffed up her spines proudly. "I saw what you did, wonderful execution," he said.

"Aha! I knew someone was following me!" Dreamweaver shouted triumphantly. A thin sliver of surprise slipped past the barriers in Lunar Eclipse's mind.

"Did you now?" he asked, smiling in mock disbelief.

"Mhm. I heard you move and I saw you for a moment. You're getting rusty, Eclipse." Dreamweaver teased. The barrier in his mind repaired itself.

Lunar Eclipse raised an eye-ridge in amusement. He then addressed the others as well. "Excellent job today. Massacre, would you do me a favor and help Umbra train?" Massacre nodded. Beside him, Umbra fidgeted mentor then turned his attention to Dreamweaver. "Dreamweaver, I must speak to you for a moment. Alone."

As Massacre turned away, Dreamweaver thought openly, See you later...Massacre. She smiled as he started laughing again. Umbra looked at him with a confused expression. They took off, talking. Dreamweaver watched uneasily as her best friends flew away.

Had she done something wrong? Did she somehow fail the test? Talons and tails… was she being banished from the tribe?

Lunar Eclipse pressed his claws to his temples, groaning.

"Dreamweaver, Dreamweaver! Stop!" he said. She realized she hadn't been hiding her thoughts.

"Sorry," Dream mumbled, embarrassed.

"It's alright," Lunar Eclipse continued. "It's nothing bad. In fact, it's a good thing." Dreamweaver felt a rush of relief. "This test was, in fact, designed to determine which one of you will be moving on.

Moving… on?

"Queen Carnage has a special mission for the final step of your assassin training. She asked me to test you and Umbra to see which of you will be taking the mission."

Dreamweaver gasped excitedly.

"In one week exactly, you will be coming back here to take another exam under supervision of the queen. So I suggest you train harder than ever, for even I do not know what she has in store for you. Understand?"

"Yes, Eclipse." Dreamweaver said proudly. "I will work as hard as I can." Lunar Eclipse nodded.

"Excellent. Now go and sleep, you'll certainly need rest for tomorrow." Lunar Eclipse smiled kindly. Dreamweaver inclined her head, backing away.

"Thank you, Eclipse." She turned around and leaped into the air, winging her way to her home, a huge smile on her snout.

_Three moons, the queen is testing me herself!_ Dreamweaver's brows furrowed in determination. _I. Will. Not. Fail._

* * *

That one particular week of training was more difficult than usual. From sunset to well into the morning, Dreamweaver trained. She had stepped permanently out of school, and she had barely any time to hang out with Umbra. While training, Dreamweaver learned how to use all sorts of killing equipment. Discs, daggers, throwing knives, you name it — she could execute them all flawlessly. She quickly passed Umbra, and maybe even Massacre.

When Dreamweaver awoke on the morning of testing day (she had slept the whole night), she thought she would be calm. She wasn't. Moons, how could she be calm? She was taking a huge test, and it was in front of the queen! She spent half an hour washing her scales, polishing them with sand, and sharpening her claws. She spent the rest of the hour studying. What if she failed?

Dreamweaver walked out of her cave, taking off and flying up and out of the canyon. On her way over, her nerves got the best of her._ What if I do something wrong? What if I insult the queen? What if I fail?_

Diving into the ocean and never coming out started to seem like a pretty great option.

_Whoa, calm down,_ Dreamweaver thought. _You got this Dreamweaver. You're the best. You can do this. Just breath._ She calmed herself. Her mind went to other things.

T_his is going to be so cool! I've never seen the queen before. I bet she's incredible, based on what everyone says._ Dreamweaver angled her wings to spiral down into the clearing from her previous test. She landed, looking around. No one was there. A rustle in some bushes straight ahead of her caught Dream's attention.

Lunar Eclipse stepped out of the trees. The early morning light made his silver scales gleam like moonlight. He nodded slowly to her. Behind her mentor appeared the largest dragon Dreamweaver had ever seen. Glittering diamond piercings studded the dragon's snout, talons, neck, tail, and back. Dreamweaver inhaled sharply and bowed as low as she could.

Queen Carnage of the NightWings was more impressive than everyone said she was.

A sharp bolt of fear ran through Dreamweaver when the shadows behind the queen moved.

_Three moons, it's the Seven Deadly Sins!_ Each dragon was completely black, with different colored eyes and piercings down their necks, back, and tails. Pride's eyes and piercings were purple, Greed's were yellow, Envy's were green, Wrath's were orange, Lust's were red, Sloth's were blue, and Gluttony's were pink. They were in the lower branches of some trees behind the queen, and they looked absolutely terrifying. They were looking around as if they expected to be attacked. When the queen spoke, their heads swiveled to look at her all at the same time. They then focused their intense gazes on Dreamweaver.

"Dreamweaver." Queen Carnage's voice was light and silky, dangerously smooth. Dreamweaver stood, keeping her head lowered in respect.

"Yes, your majesty?"

Carnage looked down at her approvingly. "You were brought here to see if you are worthy of going on a special mission." The massive dragon gestured towards the SandWing border. "In a few hours, a SandWing patrol will pass along the small strip of marshes on the border. Your task is to assassinate them all without alerting any of them."

Dreamweaver balked. Shock reverberated through her. _I've never killed anyone before…_ She forced her voice to stay steady. "I will do the best I can, and more."

"Good." Queen Carnage said. "You may begin."

Dreamweaver bowed again, backing away a few tail-lengths before turning around. As she passed Lunar Eclipse, he brushed her wing with his own reassuringly, nodding at her subtly. Dreamweaver returned the gesture before flying to the border.

* * *

Dreamweaver heard the SandWings coming five minutes before she saw them.

She had been sitting motionless in the shadows of the trees for almost an hour, but she had been patient. All assassins had taken lessons in being patient. One time, Dreamweaver had to wait a whole day before she could eat, when the food was right in front of her.

So Dreamweaver had waited. And waited. And waited. Until she heard thoughts. She looked to the sky, where the sun shone directly overhead. It was an inconveniently sunny day, with large patches of light in between the shadows of the sparse swamp trees.

_Most NightWings would be sound asleep right now_, Dreamweaver grumbled to herself. _Also...this is going to be harder than I thought_.

The SandWings' thoughts were noisy, and all about the war, the other tribes, and complaints about the swamp. Also about each other. Dreamweaver shrank back into the darker shadows when they came into view.

Five SandWings, as she predicted. Three female, two male.

"Ugh, I hate being so close to the Night Kingdom," One of the female SandWings muttered. She was wearing brass horn covers, signifying she was the commander.

"And don't forget about the NightWings themselves," piped up one of the males nervously. He was a small, skinny, twitchy dragon, clearly meant to be a nervous librarian — not a soldier.

"Yeah, they're so creepy. All readin' your mind and seein' the future. Major creepos. And the fact the they sleep through the day! What kind of dragon does that?" added a second female. She was clearly not well educated.

Dreamweaver just barely held herself back. _CREEPOS?! AS IF! You're the creepos… hmph. And sleeping through the day is actually very sensible. Being awake during the night makes sure you aren't BLIND when you're DOING STUFF!_ Dreamweaver shifted her wings unhappily, then froze again.

"I don't know how we've survived this long," commented the second male blearily.

He looked strong, being the largest in the group. Definitely going to be a challenge… if Dreamweaver screwed up. She wouldn't though.

"…being this close to the forest, I mean," he continued, glancing nervously at the forest wall. "With them being an assassin tribe. I mean, we've rarely even seen them. They don't even fight in an army! Makes me feel like they're watching, about to kill us all."

Dreamweaver could've roared with laughter. How accurate! The others murmured their agreements as they passed an assassin in the shadows. Their commander tossed her head indignantly.

"You're all a bunch of thick-headed jumping beans," she snapped. "Just because we're close to their stupid kingdom doesn't mean one them is lying in wait to kill us."

Dreamweaver rolled her eyes, letting herself smirk. _If only you knew, SandWing._

"But Jackrabbit-" the small male started.

"STOP TALKING RIGHT NOW CHOLLA! And it's Commander Jackrabbit to you." The commander, now identifiable as Jackrabbit, tossed her head. Cholla shrank back.

Dreamweaver noticed the last female hadn't spoken. _She must be deaf,_ Dreamweaver observed.

The group was now ten dragon-lengths away. Their voices faded. Cholla was falling behind, so Dreamweaver made her move. She darted across the sunlit path into the shadow of a tree. She followed them quickly, silently. Dreamweaver glanced at the rest of the patrol. They didn't seem to be paying attention. Stupid, stupid SandWings… She glided along the ground to a large shadow ahead of the scrawny SandWing, waiting for him to catch up.

Dreamweaver felt her heart beat faster. This is it. My first kill. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Here we go. Cholla closed his eyes, yawning. His thoughts were all about his little sister, and about how much he wanted to live through this and get back to her. Dreamweaver felt a stab of guilt, but forced it down. She couldn't afford to feel guilty. Using Cholla's momentary blindness as an opening, Dreamweaver jumped over him, and, silently slipping a dagger out of her hidden satchel, she held his snout shut and ran the dagger across his throat in one swift, graceful motion. Cholla's eyes opened, and his throat spurted, making a strange sound. Tears filled his eyes as Dreamweaver watched the life leave them.

_Nut...I'm sorry..._ Cholla's last thought faded away as his eyes closed for the last time. As Dreamweaver lowered his body softly to the ground, she realized something.

Dreamweaver narrowed her eyes. _I'll explore that thought later. Right now I have more dragons to kill._ She quietly dragged Cholla's corpse into the safety of the shadows in the trees. She checked the other SandWing's thoughts. Not one of them was in the least bit suspicious. Knowing she had plenty of time, Dreamweaver dragged Cholla further into the swamp until she reached a pool of water. She gently slipped the corpse into the water, then turned and sprinted back to the path. The patrol was far ahead. Dreamweaver dashed across the path, back into the cover of the trees.

Breathing heavily yet quietly, Dreamweaver reflected on what had just happened. _My first kill… that was…_ She had half expected to be overrun with guilt. What she was feeling now was entirely different. Adrenaline pumped through her veins like fire. Dreamweaver grinned excitedly. _That was fun! Ha, it was actually fun. Killing...I enjoy killing. Fancy that._ She looked ahead. The patrol wasn't in sight anymore. Keeping her excitement in check, Dreamweaver slid through the shadows back to the patrol. Once she caught up, she slowly followed them, about two dragon-lengths behind.

_Hey, wait a minute. Where's Cholla?_ The second male wondered.

Dreamweaver froze. This was most likely going to be her next target. The second male started speaking to his commander.

"Commander Jackrabbit?" he asked timidly. When Jackrabbit did not respond, he cleared his throat and tried again. "Uh...Commander...?"

Jackrabbit lashed her tail impatiently and whipped around to face him. The small, most-likely-deaf female had to leap to the side to avoid Jackrabbit's venomous tail. "What do you _WANT_ Plaster?!" she snapped. Plaster shrank back.

"Well, uh, I just noticed that Cholla disappeared." Jackrabbit raised an eye-ridge. "And, well, I think we should go look for him." He noticed the look on her face and hastily added, "Commander." Jackrabbit exhaled small puffs of smoke through her nose.

"We shouldn't have to turn around and waste time going back for a miserable little lizard who probably forgot to alert us he was going to go take a luxurious mud bath," she said.

"Ew." The uneducated SandWing from before wrinkled her snout. "I don't know about you guyses, but I do not think that mud baths sound nice or lucks… sir.. eeos… or whatever you said."

Jackrabbit took a deep, controlled breath, then huffed it out. _If I have to spend five more minutes alone with these dragons, only two of us will be coming back,_ Dreamweaver clearly head her think.

"Dust," Jackrabbit ground out behind clenched teeth.

"Yes Commander ma'am sir?" Dust said cheerily. And loudly.

"If you don't shut your snout right now, there is going to be an unfortunate accident on the way back." Jackrabbit glared at Dust. Dust swallowed hard, seeming to get what her commander was saying, and snapped her snout shut. Jackrabbit turned back to Plaster. "As I was saying," she continued, "You can go back and get Cholla, while the rest of us continue on."

"Yes, Commander Jackrabbit. Thank you." Plaster said, before turning around and trotting back down the path to where Cholla was murdered.

"Tch," was all Jackrabbit said in reply. She started back up the path with Dust and the other female. Although Jackrabbit seemed to not care about the members in the patrol, Dreamweaver could tell from her thoughts that she actually cared quite a lot.

_Hm. I wonder what their story is…_ Dreamweaver thought without much interest. She shrugged, running back along the border to Plaster. The large NightWing was nearing the blood-splatter where she killed Cholla.

_Is that blood?!_ Plaster thought in alarm. Luckily for Dreamweaver, the others were too far ahead for him to call for them. As he studied the blood splatter, Dreamweaver had a minute to figure out how to kill him.

_He's large, and strong, so I can't take him down the way I would with the others._ She reached into her satchel, pulling out a strong rope and her largest, sharpest knife. Dreamweaver nodded. _This is exactly what I need._ She put her things back into her satchel as soon as Plaster lifted his head.

He started following the trail to the small pool. Dreamweaver snuck out of the trees to follow Plaster into the swamp. As soon as they reached the interior, she leapt out from behind Plaster, taking cover in the short swamp trees. As the large SandWing neared the pool, Dreamweaver took out the rope. She quickly tied it into a small noose, just large enough to slip around Plaster's snout. As he stopped right beneath the tree Dreamweaver was in, he looked into the pool Cholla's corpse was in.

_Cosmic geckos and meteors!_ Dreamweaver swore, as Plaster flared his wings in shock, noticing the body.

Dreamweaver could tell he was about to roar out to the others, so she jumped out of the tree onto his back. His head was turning to see her, and, just in case he got away from her, Dreamweaver looped the noose around his snout, pulling it taut. She tied the two loose ends around his neck, so he couldn't turn his head. Plaster let out a muffled sound of surprise, trying to shake the noose off. He was in a position where he couldn't bend his neck to take it off with his talons.

Realizing the position he was in, Plaster started twisting his body to get his attacker off. As Dreamweaver scrabbled to hold onto him, she dropped her weapon. She growled in frustration, untying the two ends of the rope. She sat back on her haunches on his shoulders, pulling the ropes back. Plaster grunted as Dreamweaver pulled back on the ropes, forcing him to move back. He reared back on his hind legs, trying to throw Dreamweaver off.

When Plaster went back onto all fours, Dreamweaver had a moment to get the knife. Taking the momentary stillness as an opening, Dreamweaver leaned down to grab it. In one fluent motion, she snatched the knife, held onto Plaster's neck, swung around, and sliced his throat open. The cut wasn't quite deep enough, so Dreamweaver struck again. Plaster held up a forearm in defense, and the assassin's knife cut through it to the bone.

Dreamweaver heard him think _NIGHTWING_! in alarm. He didn't get another thought as Dreamweaver slashed open a main artery in the neck. Blood squirted out, spraying Dreamweaver. She wrinkled her snout in disgust.

_Gross._ She sighed. _I guess I'll clean up later._ She walked over to Plaster's corpse, pulling the blood-stained noose off of his snout. She curled it up and put it back into the bag. Fishing around, she felt cloth and pulled out a rag. _Yes_. She wiped the blood off of her knife, then wiped as much blood as possible off of her scales. Dreamweaver quickly stuffed the rag into Plaster's mouth before dragging over to the pool, shoving him in.

Knowing she had a lot of ground to cover, Dreamweaver took to the air. She flew under the trees, staying in the shadows, and landed as soon as the three remaining dragons came into view. Knowing that Dust wasn't very smart, she flicked her tail into the sunlight, hoping the glint would catch the SandWing's attention. It worked.

Dust turned her head, ears perked. Dreamweaver twitched her tail. Dust smiled before turning to Jackrabbit and saying, "Hey, uh, Commander?" Jackrabbit sighed.

"Oh for the love of- what now, Dust." She was clearly on the edge of her patience. Dust flicked her wings.

"Well I just saws something real shiny over there in those there trees," Dust explained, oblivious to her commander's annoyed expression. "So's I wanted to go see what it is."

Jackrabbit tossed her head, continuing to walk.

"Do whatever you want. Just don't fall too far behind." Dust smiled brightly.

"Yes ma'am! Thank you ma'am!" Dust turned and bounded towards Dreamweaver's tail. Dreamweaver pulled her tail back in, taking two knives out of her satchel. Dust's curious thoughts intensified when she saw the 'mysterious shiny thing' disappear. The small SandWing came into view when she passed Dreamweaver's hiding place. She noticed the NightWing, and smiled yet again.

"Hello there! You sure do look funny," Dust said dopily. "You are a SandWing, right?"

Dust noticed the knives in Dreamweaver's talons. She began walking up to the assassin, still talking.

"Those are verrrrrry shiny," Dust said. "They look like knives. Are they knives? They look sharp. Are they sharp? I bet they're real sharp."

Dreamweaver rolled her eyes. She could see how Jackrabbit found Dust annoying. As Dust kept on approaching, and talking, Dreamweaver put one knife back into her satchel. As soon as Dust was half a dragon-length away, Dreamweaver grabbed her forearm, spun around, and slammed Dust up against a tree. Dust yelped, tilting her head in confusion.

"Hey, what are you doing? Did I do somethin'? Are you gonna-"

Dust didn't get to finish her sentence as Dreamweaver stabbed her through the heart. Dust's eyes clouded with confusion, then pain, and her mouth opened as if she were trying to scream. Nothing came out. She slumped to the ground, dead. Dreamweaver wiped the knife on the grass emotionlessly.

"Good riddance," Dream whispered. _The world will certainly be a better place without you_. Dreamweaver looked over to where the remaining two dragons were walking.

She sprinted, low to the ground and lithe like a panther, to the twosome. The smaller SandWing was walking a few steps behind Jackrabbit, making her a perfect target. If she was deaf, though, that would still be a problem. Dreamweaver scanned her thoughts. They proved her 'deaf theory' wrong. The SandWing was mute. Which made things a whole lot easier. As a bonus, Jackrabbit was rambling loudly, allowing a perfect opportunity for the waiting assassin.

Dreamweaver ran up being the pair as silently as possible, knife in talon. Swiftly, she cut off the barbed tip of the mute SandWing's venomous tail, pinned her to the ground, and flipped her over. The young SandWing opened her mouth in a silent roar of pain. Dreamweaver noticed a pale, jagged patch on her throat as the assassin slit her knife across it.

_Ah. So they cut out her voice box._ The SandWing silently roared in the NightWing's face. _Wow, and her tongue. Someone was feeling creative._

The small SandWing reached out feebly to Jackrabbit. She mouthed her commander's name, a single tear escaping her eye, her own blood painting her chest dark red. Her murderer watched with interest as the raised talon slowly sank to the ground.

Jackrabbit was still talking.

"...right Warbler?" Jackrabbit turned her head, only to be met with empty space. "Warbler?" Jackrabbit looked behind her to see a NightWing sitting on top of her dead soldier, blood staining the ground.

Dreamweaver growled deep in her throat. _Peasants._ Jackrabbit's snout twisted in fury, her eyes glistening.

"YOU FILTHY, MURDERING NIGHTWING!" she roared. Jackrabbit lunged at Dreamweaver, who deftly leapt out of the way. The commander landed right in front of Warbler. Staring down at the dead dragon, the commander squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. When she opened them, they were filled with murder.

Jackrabbit twisted around to face Dreamweaver, who was pulling out some throwing discs.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Jackrabbit snarled, charging at Dreamweaver again. The assassin threw the discs, which embedded themselves in Jackrabbit's left wing, right forearm, throat, and right eye. Jackrabbit roared in pain, falling to the ground. Dreamweaver sauntered up to the fallen dragon, pulling out her biggest knife.

Dreamweaver held the knife over Jackrabbit's chest.

"Filthy SandWing," Dreamweaver sneered, before plunging the knife into Jackrabbit's body. She gave it a twist or two, grinning widely as Jackrabbit coughed up blood.

Jackrabbit's death throes weakened quickly, and she managed to growl, "You'll pay for this, you heartless NightWing." Her eyes closed. "You'll pay..."

The last SandWing was dead.

Dreamweaver removed the knife, turning to wipe her blade. A glint caught her eye. Jackrabbit's brass horn covers. She remembered something Lunar Eclipse had told her and Umbra.

_"Many assassins," Lunar Eclipse had said, "take trophies from their successful missions home. It's not mandatory, but some of us like having reminders."_

_"Why?" a younger Dreamweaver had asked. "I don't think I would want some dead dragon's stuff."_

_"Yeah!" Umbra had added. "It might have ghosties in it or something!" Dreamweaver had nodded in agreement. Lunar Eclipse had chuckled._

_"You know there are no such things as ghosts. It's a sentimental thing," he'd said. Dreamweaver had wrinkled her snout, still not understanding. "I still don't get it."_

_"You will. Someday."_

Dreamweaver did understand. Smiling nostalgically, Dreamweaver took the covers off of the deceased dragon. Holding them up to the sunlight, she inspected the quality of the brass. It was about as much as she would have suspected from the SandWings. She put the horn covers into her satchel. Dreamweaver looked at the body, wondering how she was going to carry it back to where the others were.

Warbler was small and light, so no problem there. Dust wasn't as small, but she seemed even lighter. The two males, Plaster and Cholla, were right where they were supposed to be. Dreamweaver pulled out her rope, tying it around Jackrabbit's shoulders. She slowly started dragging her towards the pool where she dumped the male SandWings. It took about ten minutes, and the sun was 3/4 a way through the sky. Dreamweaver had to hurry. She had to get back by sundown. After dropping Jackrabbit in the pool, she flew back to Warbler's body. Dreamweaver tied the rope around Warbler, then pulled her over to Dust, whom Dreamweaver simply slung over her shoulders. After dropping them in the water, which took less time than the disposal of Jackrabbit did, Dreamweaver jumped in the pool to cover them. She had to come up for air many times, as covering five dragons with mud was a long and arduous task. Dreamweaver pulled herself out of the water sluggishly when she had completely buried them. She inspected the water.

It was murky enough already, and there wasn't a single clue that there were bodies buried there. The sun was almost touching the horizon.

_I'm running out of time_, Dreamweaver thought anxiously. But there was still one more thing that needed to be done. As she began to clean the grass around her, Dreamweaver thought about Cholla's last thoughts.

_Nut. That's one of the SandWing princesses. The youngest out of the five, if I remember correctly. If that's true… She glanced back at the still pool. If the SandWings find out that it was a NightWing that killed Prince Cholla, the battles between NightWings and SandWings will become personal. Cholla. I thought that name sounded familiar._

It was especially bad that Queen Roadrunner wasn't the type of dragon to not care about her sons, like Queen Alizarin of the SkyWings. No, Queen Roadrunner, alongside King Kudu, loved their five daughters and two sons dearly.

And Dreamweaver had just killed one of them.

Dreamweaver growled at herself, moving along to the final step, which was clearing the bloodstained dirt. She went to each spot where she murdered a dragon, digging up fresh dirt and overturning the bloodstained dirt. To Dreamweaver, it seemed to take ages.

Finally, when she finished, she glanced up at the sun, shielding her eyes from its glare. Dreamweaver had just enough time to get back to the queen.

_Ugh. How am I going to explain to the Queen that I just killed one of the SandWing princes?!_ Dreamweaver groaned inwardly, stepping lightly through the dark forest. There was barely any light left, and shadows cast long, eerie shadows on the ground.

Suddenly, Dreamweaver detected motion in the corner of her vision. She whipped around, baring her teeth and preparing to fight. What greeted her surprised her. Purple eyes stared out at Dream from a dark figure, barely more than a shadow in the trees. Color on it's scales glinting when they caught the remaining sunlight. Dreamweaver froze. _Pride._

_Why is he here? Roasted bats, did I do something wrong?_ Dream's thoughts swirled into a tornado of worries. _Was I not supposed to kill Prince Cholla? Well how was I supposed to know?! He looked like a normal SandWing to me! Oh no, oh no, is Pride here to _KILL_ me?_

The shadow that was Pride shook. It took Dreamweaver a few seconds to realize that he was laughing.

_Calm down, young assassin._ His thoughts were light, amused._ I am not here to kill you. I was sent to watch over your performance. And, might I add, it was excellent. It got a little rough near the end, but either way, it was nicely… executed… haha._

Dreamweaver just stood there, stunned, not realizing that her mouth had dropped open. She thought the Seven Deadly Sins weren't allowed to speak with anyone! And… _did Pride just make a pun? _Pride?_ And _puns? Pride grinned at Dream's erratic thoughts, and Dreamweaver could not repress the shiver that ran down her spine. All she saw of Pride's wide smile was his incredibly sharp, white teeth and purple eyes, with the rest fading into shadow. He looked like a nightmarish demon from hell.

Pride's smile widened. _You are the first dragon I've spoken with besides the other Sins, my dear apprentice, and her majesty. You show promise, little assassin. And I, like you, can see visions of the future. They are, however, stronger than yours._

Dreamweaver looked at him with surprise, then ducked her head a little lower to try and make him out better in the foliage. _You have strong visions of the future?_ The figure nodded. _And you have seen visions of me. In the future._

Pride nodded again, that eerie smile still playing on his shadowed face. _Indeed. I have._

Dreamweaver shifted her wings uncomfortably. _Well… what do I do?_

Pride's smile disappeared, although she got the feeling he was still smirking. All Dream could see were his eyes now, burning into hers with an intensity that she wanted to look away from. _Hot moons, the Sins give me the heebie-jeebies._

If Pride heard her last thought, he didn't acknowledge it. _I can't tell you exactly what, but… I guess a small hint wouldn't hurt. You are going to do great things, my dear Dreamweaver. You and your best friends will band together to fight the shadowed evil that plagues this world._

Pride smiled, the widest smile she'd seen yet. Then, his eyes closed, and the shadows closed in around him. _The fate of the world rests in your talons, Oracle…_

Dreamweaver shook her head, frantic. "What do you mean? Do you mean the ShiftWings by saying 'the evil that plagues this world'? And who are you talking about, my best friends? You mean Umbra and Massacre? Why did you call me 'Oracle'?!" She waited a moment. Pride didn't return. "Oh, come back you… you…" He was gone. "UGH! YOU CAN'T JUST GO DROPPING HINTS LIKE THAT THEN LEAVE!" Dream yelled angrily, throwing a stone at a tree as hard as she could before continuing on her way.

_Stupid NightWing, he's even more cryptic than Destinygiver_, Dreamweaver grumbled to herself angrily. The sun was close to fully disappearing when she returned to the clearing where she started the mission. Lunar Eclipse was pacing the area. His head snapped up when he heard Dreamweaver return.

"Thrice-cursed moons, Dreamweaver, I was starting to think you were never coming back." Her teacher breathed a sigh of relief, and his shoulders sunk as the tension left them.

Dreamweaver rolled her eyes, grinning. "What do you take me for, some low-life dragon that can't handle a simple task like this?" She flicked her wing at his.

"Maybe." His eyes were teasing. Dreamweaver growled good-naturedly.

"So you have finally returned." Lunar Eclipse and Dreamweaver snapped to attention.

The queen stepped into the dark clearing, with the Seven Deadly Sins following close behind. Her piercings glittered malevolently in the sun's last light, and her audience bowed low to the ground. "Pride informed me that your performance was excellent."

Dreamweaver deepened her bow, her snout close to touching the dusty ground. "Thank you, your majesty."

Queen Carnage nodded approvingly. "Based on Pride's evaluation, we believe you are ready to move to the next level." She flicked her tail, signaling for the two to stop bowing. Dreamweaver sat up straight, keeping her face devoid of emotion. "Dreamweaver of the NightWings, I hereby announce your graduation from training. At midnight tonight, you will no longer be an assassin-in-training."

Dreamweaver inhaled sharply, bowing as low as she could. "Thank you, Your Majesty!" she said with absolute sincerity, barely concealing her excitement.

"At the largest moon's peak, you will come to my castle to receive your first mission as a full-fledged assassin," Carnage ordered. She nodded to Lunar Eclipse, then turned and stalked back into the forest. Dreamweaver sat up again. She couldn't help but grin. The Seven Deadly Sins disappeared after their queen, but before they left, Dreamweaver caught one of their eyes.

Pride's purple eyes narrowed, in a friendly, congratulating sort of way. Dreamweaver gave him an almost imperceptible nod, then he glanced around quickly and slipped into the shadows to join the others. Once they were gone, Dreamweaver leapt up into the air.

"YEAH!" she cried out, twisting around in the sky whooping and hollering. She landed next to Lunar Eclipse and thwacked him with a wing so hard he stumbled, laughing. "Can you believe it?! I'm an assassin! I'M AN ASSASSIN!" She stood on her back legs and flapped her wings, grinning like an idiot.

Lunar Eclipse smiled. "Not yet you aren't. Remember what the queen said? You aren't an assassin until midnight. You still have a few hours to go."

Dreamweaver dropped back to the ground. "Well, whatever. I basically am," she huffed.

Lunar Eclipse rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you've been up for quite a long while." He ran a talon over a horn. "You should go home, sleep until midnight."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea… well then, I'll see you later before I go, right?" She asked.

Lunar Eclipse nodded. "Of course."

Dreamweaver smiled again. "See you later then!" She leapt into the air, winging away. "Bye, Eclipse!" She did a few barrel rolls out of happiness, then roared her excitement to the sky.

This is the best night of my life!

Passing NightWings gave her strange looks and thoughts as she twisted through the sky, the falling sun reaching out and brushing her wings. Dreamweaver couldn't help it. She had finally, finally achieved her dream. However, by the time her home was in sight, the adrenaline had faded. Her wings felt heavy, and she yawned. Dreamweaver landed heavily on the ledge outside her home. Leaning against the door after closing it behind her, she thought about the events of her day.

Dream had killed five SandWings. One of them was one of the princes. Their faces flashed through her head. A look of sadness. A look of surprise. A look of confusion. A look of distress. A look of hate.

And none of it affected her at all.

Dreamweaver held out her talons. Oh, how amazing blood-slicked scales felt. Smooth, slick. Crimson gleaming in the fading light. It was beautiful. The chance of killing again, and soon, filled her with a strange, emotionless yet happy feeling. Yawning, Dreamweaver stepped further into her home, allowing herself a small smile.

Her dwelling was relatively small, seeing as she lived alone. On the wall to her left, a fireplace with a pile of animal skins and a low table. On her right, a table with a flower-filled vase. Behind the table was a small kitchen, with just a counter, a copper container filled with water, and a small alcove with wood inside. Directly in front of her was a hall leading to her room. On either side of the hall was a shelf, one filled with scrolls, one empty.

_I could probably put my 'trophy' on that shelf…_ Dreamweaver thought tiredly. Slowly fishing the horn covers out of the satchel, she ambled over to the empty shelf and placed the covers on top. Dreamweaver nodded at them before going to her room.

It was simple, not too ostentatious or messy— pile of blankets in one corner, a desk in the other. A single cubbyhole in the wall above her head for her satchel, and a wooden chest next to her desk.

Dreamweaver slipped the bag off of her wing, took its contents out, put them in the chest, and put her empty satchel in the cubby. She fell backwards onto her pile of soft blankets. It only took her a few moments of silence to drift off to sleep, dreaming of important visions of the future, none of which Dream would remember upon awakening.

* * *

Dreamweaver woke up to a dragon shaking her. Acting on instinct, she grabbed the stranger and flipped their positions so that she was pinning the intruder down.

The dragon squeaked, "Dream it's just me!"

Grabbing a candle from her desk, Dreamweaver lit it to see the dragon better. Dreamweaver sat back and groaned, putting the candle back and rubbing her talons over her eyes.

"Umbra, what are you doing here? I've been up all day."

Umbra rolled her eyes. "Um, hello, but you're supposed to be at the castle by midnight."

Dreamweaver's eyes shot open. _Constellations, I'm going to be late!_ She leapt to her feet, snatching her satchel from the cubby and rushing over to her chest, filling the satchel with weapons. "Umbra, you are a lifesaver!"she cried, putting her talons on Umbra's shoulders.

Umbra grinned. "What are best friends for?"

Dreamweaver smiled back. "You'll be flying with me to the castle, right?"

Her friend's cheerfulness immediately faded. Wings drooping, Umbra sighed. "No, I won't. I think this will be the last time you see me for a long time," she sniffed.

Dreamweaver's excitement disappeared. "That's right," she said, disappointment evident in her voice.

"Come on out to the living room, where we can all say goodbye at once." Umbra tried to smile again, but it just looked fake and pained.

"We...?"

Dreamweaver followed Umbra out to the main area, where Lunar Eclipse and Massacre were waiting.

They both grinned at her, but she could tell they were both hiding their true feelings. Experiencing a sudden wave of emotion, Dreamweaver brought her three friends into a group hug.

"I'm going to miss you guys," she whispered to them before letting them out of the tight hug.

"You've been an excellent student, Dreamweaver," Lunar Eclipse choked out.

Dreamweaver raised an eye-ridge. "Eclipse, are you… crying?"

He quickly wiped his eyes and shook his wings out. "No, no of course not," he said briskly. "Just a lot of dust in the air."

Lunar Eclipse turned away, probably to hide his tears, letting Massacre step forward. He put a talon on the top of her head. "Don't be gone too long, okay?" He whacked her wing with his. "Do good out there." Massacre hugged her, twining tails with her.

Dreamweaver felt a small wave of jealousy, so she thought openly, _I will… and if you and Umbra aren't together by the time I get back, I am going to tie you to the lightning tree by the ocean and leave you there for the gulls._

Dream felt Massacre tense up. _...What are you talking about?_

_You know full well what i'm talking about. You haven't been all that sneaky sneaky with your thoughts about her. 'She's so pretty today!' 'I am going to marry this dragon.'_ Dream replayed his thoughts about Umbra. Lunar Eclipse snorted, while Umbra gave the three a confused look. Dreamweaver pulled away from Massacre, giving him an arch glare.

Umbra practically tackled Dreamweaver as she burst into tears. "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"I'm not going away for forever," Dreamweaver snorted.

"You might be gone for years though," Umbra sobbed.

"Hey," Dreamweaver lifted Umbra's face. "I'll see you again, right?" Umbra nodded. "We're best friends, right?" Umbra nodded again. "Exactly. I'll be back soon…" she leaned in to whisper in her friend's ear. "…just in time to to see you and Massacre get together."

"Dreamweaver!" Umbra shrieked, shoving her away. Her snout was dark red. Dreamweaver stumbled, laughing.

"I mean it though," she chuckled. Umbra glanced at Massacre, then buried her face in her talons, blushing harder than before. Dreamweaver sighed, slinging her bag over her wing. She opened the door, pausing to look back at her friends.

"Thank you guys so much. For everything." They all nodded at her. Lunar Eclipse was trying not to cry, Massacre was giving her a determined smile, and Umbra was full out bawling. "I'll see you soon, 'kay?" Dreamweaver didn't wait for a response as she leaped off of the ledge. Her friends gathered in the doorway, watching her fly away.

The cool night air caressed her scales as she flew toward the palace. The sky was completely clear, no clouds in sight, and stars twinkled at her. Dreamweaver liked to fly higher than the other dragons out and about. The Night Kingdom lay before her, chasms and caves and canyons stretching to the distant coastline. It felt as if Dreamweaver was a part of the constellations.

_Mom, Dad… watch out for me_, she quietly thought, looking at the three moons in the sky.

The castle neared, causing Dreamweaver to tilt her wings down. She landed on the throne room landing ledge. The room inside was enormous — Dreamweaver figured it could fit around fifty dragons inside with room to spare. There were only twelve torches inside. Six lining a path towards the throne, two on either side of the throne, two beside giant metal double doors on the right wall, and two beside a large blanket covering an entrance. Queen Carnage sat on the raised throne of obsidion, intricate carving covering it. She was watching Dreamweaver in an oddly bored yet curious way. Behind the queen, the Seven Deadly Sins rested in a set of alcoves. It was easy to pick out the purple-studded Pride. He caught her eye, and they shared a glance of recognition.

"Just in time," Queen Carnage said. Dreamweaver caught Envy quietly handing Lust a pouch of what looked like gold, shooting Lust a poisonous glare.

_T_h_ey were betting on if I would show up on time?!_

Dreamweaver caught Pride raising his eye-ridges at her.

Carnage slipped off of her throne, prowling towards the metal doors on her right. Dreamweaver followed her, but the Sins stayed behind. Dreamweaver gave them a look of surprise. There were no other guards in the room to protect the queen, so why weren't the Sins following Carnage? Maybe they didn't see Dreamweaver as a threat. She felt kind of insulted.

Queen Carnage looked down at her. "Don't worry, we feel I am completely safe with you, based on their judgement, which I value very much. I still believe you are a very dangerous dragon," Queen Carnage said as if she were reading her mind. "Oh, and don't worry, I am no mind reader. But after many years in court, you tend to pick up a few skills."

They stopped by the door. It was locked with a cylindrical lock consisting of many moveable sections. Queen Carnage held out a talon, and Gluttony swooped by, dropping a large key into the queen's talon before going back to his alcove. The queen unlocked the door, and opened it with little effort. The walls inside were covered in weapons. A large, circular table sat in the middle of the room, a map of Pyrrhia covering it. Closing the door behind them, Queen Carnage spread a wing.

"Pick any five weapons. These are the finest assassination tools in Pyrrhia. Choose wisely."

Dreamweaver looked at them in awe. She had been told stories about the queen's weapon room, but she had never imagined it would be this amazing. Dreamweaver spun through it, inspecting weapons from long, bejeweled daggers to small, compact vials of poison. After many minutes of searching, Dreamweaver found the perfect weapons.

A set of perfectly fitting throwing knives.

A vial of dragonbite viper venom.

A set of shuriken.

A double bladed dagger.

A chain of reinforced chains with a small knife at the end.

The assassin put her new items into her bag, ready for her first task. Queen Carnage led her to the giant map.

"Here," she said, pointing at the lower IceWing Kingdom, "is where you will find your first target. He is an extremely dangerous dragon, and must be taken out immediately. His name and appearance is unknown, but what we do know is that he is around your age, completely alone, and in this area." She tapped a spot near the Sand Kingdom. "Can you do this?"

Dreamweaver looked up at her challenging expression. Setting her jaw, she said firmly, "I ca-" she was interrupted by a large crash from outside the weapon room. Dreamweaver jumped. "What was that?!"

Queen Carnage closed her eyes, breathing out a plume of smoke slowly. "Idiots," she muttered.

She opened the doors, allowing them to exit. Dreamweaver was met with an odd scene before her.

Wrath had her eyes closed, looking very annoyed. Pride was trying not to smirk and failing. Sloth was rubbing his head with a pained expression. Lust was trying not to laugh, while Envy was facing away from everyone, wings shaking. Greed was hanging over the side of his alcove, also shaking. Gluttony was lying on his back, silently laughing with a talon covering his eyes. A spilled plate of fruit lay on the floor.

_What in the stars...? They had seemed so sinister and serious. Now…_ she looked up at her queen.

Carnage rolled her eyes and shook her head, then sat back down on her throne. "Imbeciles." She fixed her gaze back on Dreamweaver. "Are you ready, assassin?" Dreamweaver nodded. "Excellent. Good luck, Dreamweaver of the NightWings, and may Heron be with you."

Dreamweaver bowed as low as she could before leaving. She took to the air again, leaving behind the palace and her old life.

She was now a full fledged assassin.

* * *

Dreamweaver had come to a conclusion.

The Ice Kingdom was freezing. She wasn't even that far in, and yet here she was, freezing her tail off. And to make things worse, it was snowing.

It had taken Dreamweaver about two weeks to get there. Two hard weeks of foraging for food in the desert, having sand caught constantly in her scales, and avoiding all SandWings. It wasn't as fun as she had planned. But she was determined, and nothing could stop her when that happened. Nothing.

It was her second night of waiting for her target. She was hiding in some rocks, where tall, dry weeds grew.

_If he doesn't show up tonight, I'm heading further in to look for him._ However, right as she thought that, movement caught her eye. It was him. The target.

He did indeed look around her age, fourteen or fifteen, with pale blue scales. The snow was picking up, setting her at a disadvantage. Her black scales would be easy to see in the white air.

She shook her head. _Doesn't matter. I've trained for this._ Dreamweaver slowly took one step forward. Another. Another. A noise behind her caught her attention, causing her to notice she couldn't see her target anymore. _Star speckled newts, did he get behind me?_ She started to panic. Dream let the dragon creep closer, closer, until… Dreamweaver whipped her double-bladed dagger out in one swift movement, facing her opponent. It was two NightWings.

Dreamweaver shoved the dagger back into her satchel, hissing quietly, "What are you two doing here?! You'll blow my cover!"

The first NightWing piped up. "We were sent by Queen Carnage to call off the mission."

"What?" Dreamweaver tilted her head, confused. "Why?"

"Apparently this IceWing is more dangerous than we originally thought," the second one explained.

Suspicion tinged the edge of Dreamweaver's mind. "Do you have a royal crest to prove why you're here?"

The NightWings glanced at each other. "Royal... crest…?" the first one prompted.

"Yeah," Dreamweaver confirmed. "One of the royal guards in the throne room should've given you one."

The second one shook his head. "Nope, they didn't even glance at them."

Dreamweaver flared her wings, backing away. _We don't have any royal guards in the throne room!_

"ShiftWings!" She breathed, her eyes widening.

The pair glanced at each other again, this time with annoyed expressions. Quicker than Dreamweaver could react, the first one threw a net over her.

"Stupid NightWing," he sneered.

Dreamweaver struggled against the heavy net. More disguised ShiftWings, at least three more, appeared around them.

One approached her with a rock, raising it above her head.

_This wasn't how I planned my day to go._

Then everything went black.


End file.
